Catalog Description

Prerequisite: Completion of SPAN 2 or three years of high school Spanish with grade(s) of "C" or better
Hours: 54 lecture
Description: Intermediate course in Spanish designed for students whose professional careers and personal interest take them to the healthcare field. Course enables students to convey conversations with Spanish-speaking patients and their families. Students develop basic and intermediate skills in the target language to carry on medical/nursing functions or tasks. Helpful for students who have a basic knowledge of Spanish whose goal is to apply the target language to a healthcare setting. (CSU)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Recognize and paraphrase intermediate level Spanish spoken at regular conversational speed in a healthcare setting.
  • CSLO #2: Produce accurate pronunciation with grammatically correct sentences in intermediate level conversations in a healthcare setting.
  • CSLO #3: Explain what is read in any medical diagnosis, health plan, prescription, etc.
  • CSLO #4: Compose short notes and short reports relating to patient’s healthcare using appropriate syntax.
  • CSLO #5: Demonstrate knowledge of medical practice, folk practice, dietary habits, and family relations of the Spanish-speaking world, and how this may impact healthcare professional's interactions with Spanish-speaking patients and their families.

Effective Term

Fall 2019

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Communicate directly with their Spanish-speaking patients and develop a better patient-practitioner relationship;
2. Evaluate symptoms and medical history as explained by Spanish-speaking patients in order to assess and choose the appropriate treatment to meet the patient’s needs;
3. Understand cultural values such as courtesy and family roles in order to promote more comfortable conversations;
4. Explain to patients and to their Spanish-speaking family members the prescribed diagnoses and treatments;
5. Recognize and become more familiar with the diet habits in Spanish-speaking homes in order to explain special diet needs;
6. Translate basic events related to the patient for other healthcare workers, including physicians, who are non-Spanish speaking;
7. Analyze terms and phrases in Spanish to evaluate the patient’s current condition;
8. Question the patient, and family members or other Spanish-speaking persons who may accompany the patient, about the symptoms and events leading up to the current situation;
9. Categorize the information from the patient, family members, or other sources into relevant and non-relevant data that are important to understanding the patient's situation;
10. Develop and communicate a plan of action for the patient to follow after leaving the medical facility; and
11. Assess follow-up meetings and information for the patient in order to evaluate his/her progress and communicate future healthcare instructions to the patient and family members.

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
      • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
        • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)

          Articulation Information

          • CSU Transferable

          Methods of Evaluation

          • Classroom Discussions
            • Example: Imagine a pregnant patient arrives at the hospital with her husband. She is in pain and you advise her to get an epidural. The patient agrees to it, but the husband will not allow it. Discuss with your classmates how you would proceed.
          • Essay Examinations
            • Example: After viewing the video Preparación para una cirugía, write a composition explaining how you would counsel a patient who is facing a surgery.
          • Objective Examinations
            • Example: Label the parts of the digestive system in Spanish. C. Problem Solving: A distressed patient has just arrived. Please greet the patient, calm the patient, and learn what brings the patient to your office.
          • Projects
            • Example: Create a brochure about a specific topic, such as “How to Prevent Diabetes” or “How to Prevent High Blood Pressure”, etc.
          • Reports
            • Example: Find two examples of medical intake forms in Spanish from three different medical fields (medical office or clinic, chiropractic office, dentist office, etc.). Prepare a written report that includes the following: i. The six example intake forms ii. An analysis and comparison for clarity and utility iii. A breakdown of common elements across the three medical fields as well as what is unique to the individual fields iv. The citation of all resources used in the report
          • Skill Demonstrations
            • Example: Using the provided vital signs record, discuss the condition of the patients with the practitioner (played by your partner).

          Repeatable

          No

          Methods of Instruction

          • Lecture/Discussion
          • Distance Learning

          Lecture:

          1. Course Objective: understand cultural values such as courtesy and family roles in order to promote more comfortable conversations To discuss the theme of cultural differences between healthcare systems and traditions in the Spanish-speaking world the students will be assigned to read the article “Feeling at Home Somewhere Else” and asked to find five traditional healthcare remedies or treatments from the Spanish-speaking world before the next class meeting. The students must identify the specific community to which the treatments and remedies belong. In the class period or in a discussion board the students will be divided into small groups to discuss the article and share the treatments and remedies they found. In this same class period the instructor will show a few examples (videos, actual items/remedies, etc..) of traditional treatments and remedies and guide a discussion on the value of each.
          2. Course Objective: develop and communicate a plan of action for the patient to follow after leaving the medical facility: After studying the structures used for giving advice and making suggestions the students will come to class or join an online discussion and share in a brief review and clarification of the grammar functions. The instructor will then divide the class into two groups: healthcare providers and patients. The instructor will pass out role-play cards to each group. The healthcare providers will have cards with several possible ailments that their patients may be suffering (stress, diabetes, allergies, required surgery, etc..). The patients will have a concern for which they are seeking advice. In the separate groups they can first discuss and plan how they will express their problem or give advice. Then the students will be paired as healthcare providers and clients meeting for an appointment to discuss their issues.

          Distance Learning

          1. This activity can be adapted for the online environment by having students read the article online, view a video presentation by the instructor, and then share their five traditional healthcare remedies/treatments in a discussion board post. Students will be required to view and respond to a minimum of three other posts by their classmates.
          2. This activity can be adapted for the online environment by having the students prepare in the same way, and then pair up to record a live chat while one acts as the patient and the other acts as the healthcare provider. The instructor will review each pair’s work and offer feedback.

          Typical Out of Class Assignments

          Reading Assignments

          1. The following example was taking out of a Spanish for Healthcare textbook. “Read the following dialogue between a nurse and a patient and fill out the patient’s chart based on the conversation.” 2. Read the article entitled “It Pays to Know What’s in a Name” by Patrick Osio and determine the names of these new Latino babies based on the information provided.

          Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

          1. Working in pairs, interview your partner and ask the questions listed below to find out the information requested about her/him. Use the adjectives in the vocabulary list provided and decide whether you need to use ser or estar to ask your question. Follow the model and use the formal forms (usted) in this exercise.2 2. Working in pairs, write and act out a conversation between a nurse and a patient that is just regaining consciousness.

          Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

          Required Materials

          • An Introduction to Spanish for Health Care Workers
            • Author: Chase, Medina de Chase
            • Publisher: Yale University Press
            • Publication Date: 2014
            • Text Edition: 4th
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:
          • Basic Spanish for Medical Personnel
            • Author: Jarvis, Lebredo
            • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
            • Publication Date: 2014
            • Text Edition: 2nd
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:
          • Basic Spanish
            • Author: Jarvis, Lebredo, Mena-Ayllón
            • Publisher: Heinle Cengage
            • Publication Date: 2011
            • Text Edition: 2nd
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:
          • Spanish for Medical Professionals: Essential Spanish Terms and Phrases for Healthcare Providers
            • Author: My Daily Spanish
            • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
            • Publication Date: 2018
            • Text Edition: 1st
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:
          • Salud!: Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals
            • Author: Deborah Bender, Linda Carl, Ernest Lunsford, Robert Henshaw
            • Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall
            • Publication Date: 2013
            • Text Edition: 2nd
            • Classic Textbook?:
            • OER Link:
            • OER:

          Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.